Tag Archives: trade unions

By Seán Burns With the threat of a no-deal Brexit and general election looming, the move to suspend Parliament by Boris Johnson was not a sign of strength for his government. It is reflective of the tenuous nature of his position and the scale of dissent inside the Tory Party. Unable to command a majority in Parliament for his Brexit plan, ...

by William Brooks – NIPSA Civil Service Executive (personal capacity) Following an overwhelming majority decision by ballot of its members, trade union NIPSA has called industrial action by Northern Ireland civil servants in opposition to the disgraceful imposition of another below-inflation 1% pay-‘award’ while consultation was still ongoing, as well as the continued degradation of terms and conditions which NIPSA ...

By Shane Finnan Rents soar, the cost of living continues upwards, all the while wages remain, for the most part, restrained. Working-class people, especially the young, feel the pinch every week. Irish capitalism has failed to deliver for the working-class and young. Thousands of people are forced to stay at home in a state of delayed adolescence. Many are ...

By Michael O’Brien Recent years of economic growth and an increase in employment rates constitutes the greatest part of the government’s claim of recovery. However, the ‘recovery’ in employment rates has not brought an end the cost of living crisis experienced by hundreds of thousands of workers. A real workers’ recovery is needed that combats precarity, struggles for real ...

Socialist Party statement, 26 April 2019 The killing of Lyra McKee on Thursday April 19th sent a wave of shock across Northern Ireland. Lyra was only 29 but had already made a name for herself as a journalist, an author and an activist. Whilst over 3,800 have died in the “Troubles” since 1969 some killings strike a particular chord. Lyra’s ...

By Kevin Henry As we go to press, it is over 750 days since the Stormont institutions collapsed in the wake of the RHI. This figure is likely to rise considerably, given the sectarian games of both the DUP and Sinn Féin and the lack of any serious efforts to restart the institutions. Brexit and the uncertainty about the border ...

By Michael O’Brien When the nurses and midwives embarked upon their strike action it was clear that they were not just up against the government, the HSE and a right-wing media. Unfortunately, they effectively found themselves up against the leaderships of other public service trade unions. SIPTU Senior Health Sector official and Labour party councillor Paul Bell was the most ...

By Harper Cleves The #MeToo movement has gained traction globally since October 2017 following the allegations made by prominent Hollywood actors against media mogul Harvey Weinstein. In the wake of these accusations, actor Alyssa Milano posted a tweet calling on fellow survivors to post ‘me too’ in solidarity. Within 12 hours she had half a million replies. Furthermore, by the ...

“We publish below an article originally printed in the northern March edition of The Socialist newspaper. Recent comments by trade union leaders, claiming that Sinn Fein are “anti-austerity” rings hollow when spoken at the same time that public sector workers are engaged in a struggle against savage Assembly cuts, including those imposed by Sinn Fein ministers. These statements also threaten ...